jealousy

You know how sometimes you are finally getting to the point in your life when you're starting to be rather good at a Thing, or getting ready to be rather good at a Thing, and it's going along swimmingly and you're really quite proud, but then someone pops into your life who is, woah, already so good at the Thing and is effortless and confident about the Thing for which you were only starting to feel like bragging about yourself?
That's happening to me.
I'm pretty good at doling out this particular advice: I say, if there are people who are more talented than you or more driven than you or who make choices you wouldn't be able or wouldn't WANT to make yourself, the best way to handle it is not to squeak out the 'but I...' or the 'hmm...' and instead say, 'Oh how INteresting of them!' You know, don't take other peoples choices/gifts/lacks personally. I've given that advice to more than two people in my life, maybe three or four! But I'm not doing so well at consistently taking it myself.
Man, jealousy. Man.